Welcome{IF ISEMPTY [Name] THEN "" ELSE ", " END IF} {IF ISEMPTY [Name] THEN "" ELSE [Name] END IF}{IF NOT ISEMPTY [Name] THEN ", " ELSE " " END IF} to Hereford eNews, your source of the most current news affecting Hereford breeders. We aim to focus on news worthy events pertaining to the Hereford seedstock industry. Sponsored by the American Hereford Association (AHA). Information sent to subscribers comes from material available on Hereford.org or authored by AHA, Hereford World and Certified Hereford Beef (CHB) LLC staff.

Hereford Highlights

Ultrasound Use Up Across the Breed

Nearly 50% of the yearling weight data submitted to the American Hereford Association (AHA) so far in fiscal year 2006 has been accompanied by ultrasound measurements. This percentage is growing year after year, according to Jack Ward, AHA chief operating officer and director of breed improvement.

An analysis of The National Centralized Ultrasound Processing (CUP) Lab & Technology Center database shows a similar trend for increased ultrasound use across the Hereford breed.

The National CUP Lab writes, “An updated analysis of our database indicates that your members are continuing to increase their use of ultrasound to measure carcass characteristics. For the first three months of 2006, we are pleased to report an 18% increase in the number of animals submitted for evaluation. We appreciate the increase and are happy your members are using our unbiased ultrasound interpretation service as a selection tool.”

Earlier this year, The National CUP Lab interpreted ultrasound scans for genetic evaluation on its 1 millionth animal. The milestone animal was a Hereford heifer owned by Shepherd Herefords, Burlingame, Kan. The lab provides carcass data records via live animal ultrasound for more than 20 beef breed associations in the U.S., Canada and South America.

CHB LLC Receives Thanks for Farm to Fork Tour

In May, 16 representatives from The Fresh Market, neighborhood specialty grocer, enjoyed a Certified Hereford Beef (CHB) LLC sponsored tour that revealed the CHB® farm to fork process. Tour participants visited National Beef Packing Plant, Ford County Feedlot and Sandhill Farms. The Hereford Verified program was demonstrated throughout the tour, a CHB meal was served and the Kansas Beef Council helped to provide general beef industry insight.

Ross Reynolds, The Fresh Market, sent a letter of thanks to CHB individuals who helped facilitate the tour. Also in the letter was a special notation of the trip to Sandhill Farms in Haviland, Kan.

“I wanted to tell you that The Fresh Market meat team especially enjoyed the visit with Kevin Schultz at Sandhill Farms. In polling the guys, the tour of the ranch and discussion with Kevin about his trade were definitely the highlights of the trip. Personally, I learned more about the breeding and genetics of cattle in one afternoon than I knew combined prior to that. The fact that Kevin specifically breeds Herefords and our being able to witness the birth of a calf made the visit even better.”

Thanks from CHB LLC to the Schultz family and to all who helped with the tour — it was a CHB and beef industry success!

Hereford Juniors Recognized as BEST Winners

The 2005-2006 Ohio Cattlemen’s Association BEST (Beef Exhibitor Show Total) Program featured 15 sanctioned shows across Ohio. Nearly 500 head of cattle and almost 300 youth were entered in the program. Juniors earned points for their placings at each show.

Congratulations to our Hereford youth! For more information about the BEST program, contact Jamie King at (614) 873-6736.

Help Advertise the Breed While Advertising Your Cattle

A free banner advertising option available to AHA members is to incorporate the National Advertising Campaign into your Web site to help promote the breed with a uniform message.

Currently, there are 20 different graphics used in the Hereford banner campaign, showing both horned and polled Hereford cattle in differing production environments, all using the tagline “…doing more things better for le$$.” For an example, view the banner at the bottom of the Hereford.org home page.

Implementing the campaign on your Web site is as simple as copying and pasting the necessary html code from the Hereford Web site into your Web site pages.

While the National Advertising Campaign will change, once the breeder enters the initial code, nothing else needs to be done on his or her part. The banner will update itself.

Make Sure to Get Registered for PRIDE

This year’s PRIDE (Program for Reaching Individuals Determined to Excel) Convention is at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, on Aug. 3-6. Early registration is due July 1. Juniors and advisors pay $175 up to this date, and $200 thereafter. The fee covers lodging and meals (dinner on Thursday through breakfast on Sunday).

Cattle OutlookGlenn Grimes and Ron Plain
University of Missouri-Columbia

Researchers Develop New Test for FMD

According to Ann Bagel, Meatingplace.com, researchers at the University of California (UC), Davis, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are testing a new system to diagnose foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in livestock.

The system uses robots instead of technicians to do most of the lab work. A centralized electronic tracking system follows each swab of animal saliva from the farm to the laboratory. Testing can begin within 15 minutes of samples arriving at a lab, and the genetic fingerprints of many different viruses can be identified at once. Bagel says this is key because several other common livestock diseases show similar symptoms to foot-and-mouth.

According to a study by UC Davis researchers, for each hour delay in diagnosing FMD, the damage from a U.S. outbreak would rise by as much as $3 million.

USMEF Helps Small Companies Develop International Markets

Small U.S. companies wanting to take the leap into the global marketplace can gain a competitive edge using the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) branded products promotion program.

To help with costs involved in overseas promotions, USMEF has created a unique program for assisting small companies by matching funds to promote branded U.S. meat products internationally.

AMI Urges Congress to Pass Trade Status for Vietnam

Citing “significant new opportunities for U.S. agriculture,” the American Meat Institute (AMI), along with 30 other agricultural trade associations, have urged members of Congress to provide Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status to Vietnam.

U.S. trade officials finalized the terms of Vietnam’s entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) last week. In order for U.S. agriculture to benefit from this, Congress must grant Vietnam with PNTR status.

More than three fourths of U.S. agricultural products exported to Vietnam will see their tariffs reduced and bound in the WTO at 15% or less, including beef and pork — representing a substantial reduction from the current average tariff on agricultural products of 27%.

Vietnam has agreed to allow bone-in beef and beef offal trade to resume upon signing of the bilateral agreement. This means Vietnam will accept all U.S. beef and beef products from animals less than 30 months of age.

Agraria Restaurant Opens in Washington, D.C.

June 6 marked the grand opening of the Agraria Restaurant, a family farmer-owned fine dining establishment originated by the North Dakota Farmers Union (NDFU).

“Agraria is an opportunity for producers to earn a greater share of the U.S. food dollar and it allows us to educate consumers about family farms and ranches,” says Robert Carlson, president of NDFU.

The restaurant nestled in Georgetown’s Washington Harbour, seats 355 and features contemporary American cuisine that emphasizes meat and pasta dishes. Seasonal dishes will be showcased based on available produce and other ingredients from family farmers across the country. The restaurant’s expansive wine list also features wines from producers that practice sustainable viticulture.

NCBA Executive Committee Supports Japan Sanctions

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) executive committee has voted unanimously to support retaliatory measures hinging on the immediate resumption of beef trade with Japan.

This committee voted to support legislation instructing the Bush administration to institute agricultural and non-agricultural sanctions against Japan if beef trade is not immediately resumed.

The committee also voted in unanimous support of S. 3364, introduced by U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) on June 5, 2006. Nelson’s legislation would ban importation of any beef from Japan into the U.S. until Japan reopens its border to U.S. beef.

NCBA President Mike John of Huntsville, Mo., says it has always been the association’s preference to resolve the trade impasse with Japan through negotiations based on sound scientific principles, not retaliation. But repeated delays by Japan have forced cattlemen to support more aggressive action.

If you know of someone who would be interested in receiving Hereford eNews please submit their email address to eNews@hereford.org.

You have the right to unsubscribe from this list at any time. If you would like your name excluded from future mailings of this news update, please reply to this e-mail with the word "REMOVE" in the subject line. If you have questions about this service or if you would like to give us an opinion or suggestion regarding its usefulness, content, recommendations for improvement, etc., we would like to hear from you. To let us know what you have to say, simply send an email to eNews@hereford.org. For more information about the purpose of this electronic news update, read our privacy statement.